FDR and Civil Aviation - (World of the Roosevelts) by A Dobson (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The aim of this book is to demonstrate that Franklin D. Roosevelt was one of the leading agents in both setting out and working to implement the principles that came to govern the international aviation system from 1945 down to the recent present and that much of its design was drawn from the experience of domestic US aviation reform in the 1930s. In contemporary parlance one might say that what is proposed here is the explanation of the genesis of a roadmap set out successively by Roosevelt's administrations for the achievement of a liberalized and lightly regulated international civil aviation market. Furthermore, a key contention of this research is that FDR himself played a much more important role in crafting policy than has previously been acknowledged"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Drawing on his knowledge of the technical aspects of civil aviation, Alan P. Dobson's history of the international aviation system, from 1945 to the present day, stresses the hitherto unacknowledged role Franklin D. Roosevelt played in implementing the principles that came to govern the entire global aviation system.

Review Quotes

"In a twentieth century dominated by airpower, no figure loomed larger than Franklin Roosevelt, both as a global strategist and as a key definer of the aerial world. No scholar better captures Roosevelt s thinking on this crucial issue than Alan Dobson, the true historian of aviation s diplomacy." - Jeffrey A. Engel, Kruse 52 Professor, Texas A&M University and author of Cold War at 30,000 Feet: the Anglo-American Fight for Aviation Supremacy

"Amazingly, the story of FDR and international civil aviation has gone untold; yet it is perhaps his most lasting and important legacy. Alan Dobson's well-written book is more than the story of Roosevelt's vision of what commercial aviation could become in the postwar world, however. It is an essential contribution to understanding globalization." - Lloyd C. Gardner, Professor Emeritus of History, Rutgers University, and author of Three Kings: The Rise of an American Empire in the Middle East After World War II"Alan P. Dobson has established a reputation as the world s leading authority on the international diplomacy of civil aviation, and this book demonstrates just how well-earned is that reputation. FDR and Civil Aviation constitutes a major contribution to our understanding of the rise and evolution of today s globe-spanning network of commercial airlines. Central to the fascinating story Dobson tells is the role played by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the oft-unacknowledged but very real architect of today s civilian-aviationregime - a regime that has been erected very much in accordance with the president s liberal-internationalist preferences and ideals. For anyone seeking insight into the wartime roots of a contemporary global civil-aviation order characterized by the aspiration toward open skies, this book will be indispensable reading." - David G. Haglund, Professor, Department of Political Studies, Queen s University, Canada

About the Author

ALAN DOBSON is Professor of Politics at the University of Dundee, UK.